Law professor defends Ali as qualified, calls backlash about religion
The appointment of a municipal judge in a small Mississippi Delta town has drawn social media backlash from internet trolls and a few Mississippi politicians because the new judge, Assma Ali, is Muslim, according to the Associated Press.
Those who know Ali said the U.S. native is qualified and an upstanding member of Mississippi’s legal community.
“We have people from out of state who just see a woman in a hijab and they say action must be taken. These attacks against Ms. Ali are about her religion,” said Frank Rosenblatt, an attorney and professor at Mississippi Christian University School of Law, who has known Ali for years and spoke highly of her willingness to mentor young lawyers.
In recent days, people including some Mississippi politicians attacked Ali online for what they claimed were radical beliefs, without any substantiation, the AP reported. They accused her of fabricating the judicial appointment and speculated she would institute Islamic law.
Social media posts also falsely claimed Ali was appointed as a judge in Ridgeland or in Lumberton, according to the report.